Annual Meeting
To our Exit 7 Friends and Family:
Exit 7 Players will be holding its Annual Board Meeting on Sunday, June 25 at 1pm at Exit 7 Theater, located at 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow. Active members, members wishing to renew membership, and those wishing to become members are invited to attend.
Memberships that have lapsed or those wishing to pay for new memberships can be done by sending a check to PO BOX 183, Ludlow MA, 01056 or by paying online or in person at the Theater by cash or check. Checks made payable to: Exit 7 Players
The Annual Meeting will consist of a summary of our current season, future plans, capital improvements, financial information, voting of Board of Directors Members, and discussion/voting of By-Law Amendments.
Immediately following the Annual Meeting there will be a short break followed by the first meeting of the 2023-2024 Season. Board Members elected should plan to attend both meetings and general membership are encouraged, but not required to attend the second meeting.
We are currently taking applications for Board of Directors Members and Officers. If you would like to be considered for the Board of Directors please submit an email to the Nominating Committee. Please ensure you receive an email back from the committee of receipt of submission. To nominate yourself or someone else, a simple statement like the following is all that is needed:
SELF NOMINATION: "I, _______________ (name) would like to be considered for the Exit 7 Board of Directors (or officer position inserted here) for the 2023-2024 season. Sincerely, _____________(name)"
NOMINATION OF OTHERS: “I would like to nominate ____________________(name) to be considered for the Exit 7 Board of Directors (or officer position here) for the 2023-2024 season. The individual being nominated is aware of my submission. Sincerely, _____________ (name)”
Please also put in the subject line of the email “EXIT 7 NOMINATION”.
Please keep in mind that the responsibilities of the Board of Directors are:
- Attend monthly meetings (11) and discuss theater business
- Attend seasonal work days to clean up the theater
- Choosing theatrical productions for each season
- Hiring of each production's creative team
- Produce and participate in some capacity for each production in the season
- Help upkeep the theater facility
- Serve on subcommittees and perform assigned duties
The current Board of Directors consists of the following members, descriptions of duties of Officer positions can be found in the Exit 7 By-Laws, Article V:
- President
- Vice President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Up to 3 Junior Board Members (members under the age of 18)
- Up to 2 Emeritus Board Members (appointed by the sitting Board of Directors)
- Up to 11 other Board of Directors Members
During the Annual Meeting itself, we ask that you prepare a short (1-2 minutes) speech as to why you should be considered for the Board of Directors or Officer position. If you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting but would still like to be considered, please prepare a short essay/statement as to why you should be considered and email to the Nominating Committee to be read in your absence.
The deadline for nominations to the Nominating Committee must be by midnight EST on Saturday, June 10, 2023. To be nominated/considered for the Board or Executive Board, individuals need to be members of Exit 7 Players. Membership can be paid online or lapsed memberships can be renewed at the Annual Meeting in person with cash or check.
The By-Laws have the following proposed amendments to be determined at the Annual Meeting. The text in black is currently written in the By-Laws, the RED text is the proposed changes.
The proposed amendments are attached and hard copies will be available at the Annual Meeting. (see attached pdf)
a. Article V: addition of a "Prologue"/explanation, edits to Section A, edits to Section B
RATIONALE:
i) "PROLOGUE"/Explanation - solidifies the members that compose the Executive Board, adds language to past-practice of Junior Members (under 18 years of age) restriction from holding Executive positions, and adds criteria for consideration to Executive Board Positions
ii) Section A - addition of language to already practiced procedure of when the President can/cannot vote
iii) Section B - addition of language to voting procedure for the Vice President when serving as the Interim President
b. Article X: removal of subsection of Section E
RATIONALE:
Video Conferencing is a valuable tool for emergent situations such as bad weather, mass-health concerns, or used as needed but using frequently is more cumbersome and difficult to have for normal Exit 7 operations. So the proposed change would still allow for use of the video conferencing at the discretion of the Board, but it would not be a replacement to attendance for meetings.
c. Article XII: addition of Sections C and D
RATIONALE:
i) Section C - addition of language for Resignation of Board Members. Previously no mention of resignation existed, though resignation (for one reason or another) has occurred in the past.
ii) Section D - addition of language to the vacancy of any of the Executive Board Member positions. Since these Board Members have additional responsibilities, having language dictating procedure in particular roles are helpful.
The proposed amendments can be viewed prior to the meeting. Hard copies will be available at the Annual Meeting.
Finally, on Sunday, June 11, a follow-up email with the ballot of Board of Directors considerations and a meeting agenda will be sent out.
Exit 7 strongly supports diversity and particularly encourages participation, general membership and board candidates that reflect the wide variety of experiences and backgrounds in our theater community.